Thursday, 6 June 2013

1981: CINEMA MAGAZINE ISSUE 1 (Marvel UK)

Here's another long-forgotten oddity from the Marvel UK archives: the short-lived (a one-shot special and nine monthly issues) CINEMA MAGAZINE from 1981-82.

Cinema was a spin-off from STARBURST, and also edited by Alan McKenzie, which applied the same successful formula to general moviedom. This was before the likes of EMPIRE and neatly filled a gap in the market.

The formula was first tested in a Winter Special, released towards the end of 1981. That was deemed a success and work began immediately on a monthly incarnation. This meant that M-UK were now producing three regular magazines, DOCTOR WHO being the third (technically four as, despite being pitched at a younger audience, BLAKE'S SEVEN was - basically - a features-based monthly). M-UK's notoriously small staff soon started to feel the strain and McKenzie requested the cancellation of Cinema (the least successful of the magazine 'group' titles) after only nine issues.

Cinema didn't contain any traditional comic strips but - perhaps inevitably - a Howett (no Quinn) gag-strip was part of the line-up... and posted below.

This first issue may also mark an unexpected first for Marvel UK and - quite possibly - Marvel as well. The article on British sex films was illustrated with several (tasteful) stills of topless gals. I imagine this was the first time that either outpost of the House Of Ideas had printed pics like that.

SLOW ROBOT

Welcome to STARLOGGED!
It's a repository, and celebration, of Geek Media (mostly print) from the 'Star Age': that pre-millennial period between, roughly, 1972 (the opening of Marvel UK) and 1999 (the release of The Phantom Menace... and the end of innocence). But, of course, we'll bend the rules when we want to.
I only reproduce long out-of-print items for historical reference. I don't include anything that's currently in-print, is likely to be reprinted or otherwise commercially exploited by the copyright holder.
Comments and contributions are most welcome.